Materials

Procedure

Play the recording of Jodler (yodel songs) and Schuhplattler
(folk dances that feature the boot slapping of men). Call attention to the preponderance
of triple meter and to the arpeggiated melodies in major keys. Many yodel songs are
organized into a verse-refrain form, the refrain of which is usually the yodeling of
syllables rather than words.

Sing The Cuckoo's Song in
unison, adding the harmony if appropriate for the students' age level. The language is
an Alpine Austrian dialect of German.

While singing, add a pat-clap-snap gesture to keep the triple meter feeling.

Accompany the song on guitar or Autoharp.

On a map of Europe, locate the Germanic countries Austria and Switzerland, and the
southern part of Germany known as Bavaria. Discuss the possible reasons for the
development of the yodel. Could it be that the Alps motivated people to sing from
one mountain to the next for the pure enjoyment of the echo (in which case, words
were not necessary and the pitched cries of the arpeggiated melody collided into
chords as they were bounced back to the singer)?

Standards Correlations

Standard 1 Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music

Follow us on:

Highlights

December Calendar of Events
December is full of events that you can incorporate into your standard curriculum! Our Educators' Calendar outlines activities for each event. Happy holidays!

Bullying Prevention Resources
Bullying can cause both physical and emotional harm. Put a stop to classroom bullying, with our bullying prevention resources. Learn how to recognize several forms of bullying and teasing, and discover effective techniques for dealing with and preventing bullying in school.

Conflict Resolution
Teach your students to how resolve conflict amongst themselves without resorting to name-calling, fights, and tattling.

Immigration Resources
Studying immigration brings to light the many interesting and diverse cultures in the world.